


Beautiful [Temp. Discontinued]

by Nefaelibata



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Crushes, Fluff, Friendship, High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-03 20:15:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17884466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nefaelibata/pseuds/Nefaelibata
Summary: Part one of a trilogy inspired by Wanna One's song "Beautiful"Noctis Lucis Caelum, the introverted prince of Insomnia, meets Prompto Argentum, a new student in his school. There was something about Prompto that caught the prince's attention, but he didn't know what. After finally being paired up for a project, a slow but fulfilling friendship flowers, only to have Noctis' own feelings for Prompto flourish as well.





	Beautiful [Temp. Discontinued]

Warm summer breezes flow through open windows and into classrooms and hallways, and with them come the faint scent of flowers from gardens around the school. Leaves brush against one another on trees and bushes as the wind rushes by, causing an eruption of calming noise. Birds chirp and fly about. Flying against the wind, flying to the sky's limit, singing their beautiful, happy songs to each other and to anyone who can hear them.

Noctis hums contently as the sounds and feelings of summer nearly lull him to sleep. His eyelids grow heavy, and his head bobs a little each time his eyes close. Dark blue eyes meet the light blue sky, and all the prince can do is stare. Stare up at the clouds, stare up at the abyss of deep beauty as he waits for class to end. He lets his mind wander. _What's Ignis cooking for dinner tonight? Is he still mad at me?_ He worries his bottom lip. _Do I have training after school?_ He sighs.

A pile of papers is abruptly dropped on his desk. He jumps in his seat, startled. "What's this?" He half-mutters, half-asks before his brain returns to the real world. He picks up the papers.  

"Study guide."

"Just one page?" He flips it to the back side to see how much work he has to do.

"Yeah. It's really easy stuff, though."

With a large yawn, Noctis nods and passes the other papers back. He half-consciously glances through the content on the paper. Nothing that he can't do. The class is easy for him, anyway. Ignis, his advisor, is always on top of his schedule. He always makes time to help him when he needs.

The class erupts into chatter just as the bell rings. He shoved the study guide into his backpack and slung it onto his shoulder lazily.

"Prince Noctis," His teacher, Mrs. Lisa, says. "Would you come here, please?"

He inwardly sighs and walks up to the front of the classroom. By the time he passes the front row of desks, the classroom is uncomfortably vacant and quiet. "Yeah?" He asks and stifles a yawn.

She quirks an eyebrow at his odd expression. "You've been falling asleep in my class far more often than usual, and for a while now I've noticed how exhausted you look. Is everything alright?"

Lazily, he nods. "Yeah." He fails at holding back his yawn.

She squints her eyes suspiciously and nods. "Alright. Well, as you know already, don't hesitate to come and talk with me if there's something bothering you."

"Thanks," He says. He hates it when people tell him that, so, he says the same thing he always does. "I'll keep that in mind. Have a good day, Mrs. Lisa."

"You, too, Prince Noctis. See you tomorrow." She picks her pen up and resumes with whatever she was doing before. Noctis enters the dense crowd of students and trudges into the lunch room. He finds that his usual spot is occupied by a group of loud girls. They all laugh and talk obnoxiously about what is pulled up on their phone screens. _Great. I can't even spend five minutes talking with a teacher, and someone will take my spot._ He frowns grumpily and marches around, eagerly looking for a place to sit. Eventually, he finds one, but he is in the vicinity of the annoying popular people of the school.

After he pulls out his lunchbox, he immediately searches for his phone and starts up King's Knight, the best game in the world. His fingers jam and slide across the screen while his eyes flicker around and study different images flashing before his eyes on the screen. He drowns out the world around him and focuses solely on the game, and the words and kings slowly become the only thing that matters at that moment. He barely touches his food, he notices, when the bell suddenly rings. It is shrill, and loud, and _annoying._ Chatter from student annoyances around him increase its volume tenfold, and he can't help but feel overwhelmed.

By what? Nothing, really.

Slowly, he closes the cover of his full lunchbox. He glances around the lunchroom with a troubled expression. He feels insecure. He sees all these people in his school that he could be talking to, girls and boys hanging out with their friends–best friends, even. Noctis, ever since he was a child, has been insecure about friendships. (Well, he has every right to, of course! A prince must always be wary of peoples' intentions.) _Would people only be my friend for money? For popularity?_ He scowls. _This is why I hate people. I can't believe dad is still telling me to talk to people. He knows damn well I’m not going to change any time soon. Does he?_

He's never been good at making or keeping those friends, either.

 

  * Back Home•



 

"So, Noct," Ignis starts and looks up from his plate. "How was your day?" He finishes the last of a light afternoon snack he prepared earlier. His green eyes study the young prince like an eagle stalking its prey, waiting for any sign of discomfort, or a small flicker of emotion on his face. Maybe even a small smile. But, as usual, he receives a shrug and the same depressed sigh.

"My day was fine. Nothing interesting or eventful, if that's what you're hoping for." He pulls out a small square of lettuce with his fingers and sets it aside. Then, he pops the snack into his mouth and leans back in his chair. "And yours?"

He hums thoughtfully. "Busy. I had many meetings today."

"You're always in meetings. Why?"

"I'm your advisor. I need to know everything in order to help you become the future king."

He felt embarrassed about asking a stupid question like that. "Yeah, yeah, yeah…" (That is his usual answer of indifference when he's embarrassed or ashamed.)

"And I do my best to get _you_ to form _good habits_. Now, help me with the dishes. Up you go!" He marches into Noctis' small kitchen and turns on the water, holding back a small smile while he listens to the prince whine and complain about annoying people in his school for a while. Once he finally runs out of things to complain about, and other than the occasional tired sigh from him, the two work in silence. Not an uncomfortable or tense silence, a comfortable silence.

Ignis picks up on the very obvious slouch and tired-looking eyes of Noctis. He notices the deadpan staring, how he seems to not even be present in the kitchen with him. It's become common for him to see Noctis in this depressed and apathetic state, and it's beginning to concern him. Of course, the prince is not a very expressive person, and these past couple of days could very well be a result of being overwhelmed…

 

Noctis looks over at his advisor nervously as he dries a couple more dishes. His eyes flicker back and forth from his hands–which he knows are on the verge of being shaky–to the side of Ignis' face. He's conflicted. He doesn't know if it would be a good idea to tell Ignis about how _tired_ he feels lately despite getting a _more-than-sufficient_ amount of sleep at night (and during the day), despite eating well enough (except for vegetables, of course), and participating in all training sessions. His daily routine, the one set up by Ignis for him, has remained consistent for years, and it has kept a nearly perfect balance between free time, princely duties, and schoolwork. There's an underlying problem he knows is creeping its way to the surface, to a more conscious part of his brain, but he doesn't know what it is.

"Ignis–" he says quietly. _Too_ quietly.

"Your Highness, I'm going to leave you to your work, now. I know better than to disturb you when you're busy." He strides over to the couch and picks up the long black coat he was wearing earlier and puts it on. "Unless you need my assistance. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Noctis bites the inside of his lip and focuses on drying the last dish (even though it's already dry enough). "Um, no, thanks." He swears he can almost _feel_ Ignis' suspicious stare.

"Very well, Highness. I will see you this evening."

The door slams shut, and he's left in silence. It's deafening, the silence. The loneliness. The sudden emptiness in his apartment a reminder that he _genuinely_ has no friends. No one other than Gladio and Ignis. It feels like he's being mocked. Taunted by his reflection on the plate. It's not like he has a problem with Gladio and Ignis. They're great people. Amazing, even. He needs someone who won't treat him like he's royalty. Someone he can have fun with.


End file.
